Asa Hutchinson: Armed Teachers Will Be as Common as Air Marshals

The former congressman who led the National Rifle Association’s taskforce on school safety says critics who trash the idea of armed teachers will one day be as comfortable with them as they are with gun-toting air marshals.

“They said the same things about airlines who put federal air marshals on [planes], but it’s obviously given a greater level of security, deterrence,’’ Former Arkansas Rep. Asa Hutchinson told Newsmax TV’s “The Steve Malzberg Show.’’

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“We protect our children when they go to shopping malls – they have armed security at shopping malls — and nobody runs away.

“And a school is not going to be an armed camp, it’s going to be a very discreet environment.’’

Hutchinson on Tuesday issued a sweeping 225-page report on school safety as part of the National School Shield Program, funded by the NRA.

It recommends that schools train willing staff members in the use of firearms.

The report — commissioned in response to the Newtown, Conn., elementary school massacre last December — said properly trained employees will add "an important layer of security in schools."

Hutchinson says each school will be able to tailor a safety program for its own needs by using an online assessment program provided by the taskforce.

“A lot of schools have enquired with us because they’re struggling for solutions. They want more tools,’’ he said.

“States, as they develop policy, are going to have to change laws to allow the training of school personnel.’’

The former congressman who led the National Rifle Association's taskforce on school safety says critics who trash the idea of armed teachers will one day be as comfortable with them as they are with gun-toting air marshals.